The Plum Project, an initiative of the Uniting Church in Garden Lane, played a vital role in Wings of the Sky, a creative arts production rooted in the Sanctuary Seeking movement. The project was designed to involve local people seeking sanctuary through participatory arts and culminated in a moving performance at Chester Cathedral as a prelude to Refugee Week. Funding for Plum’s contribution to Wings of the Sky came from a combination of sources: Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWACC), the Mersey Synod Mission Grant, and individual donations.

From organising regular community litter picks with pupils from Locking Stumps Primary School to taking part in the Great British Spring Clean with 150 children from Birchwood CofE Primary School,  Thomas Risley URC TReco Group is committed to supporting its local community.

Friends of Wallasey, a campaign to end loneliness in the Wallasey and Wirral area, is a successful ‘adult youth club’ at Wallasey Village URC, with some of the group joining church services from this weekly community event.

Highfield URC, Rockferry member David Nicholas soon celebrates his 90th birthday and 36 years as the Liverpool Philharmonic Resident Film Organist. Learn about his faith and music journey in this feature.

Christ Church Haydock URC’s Junior Youth Club is open to all primary school age children in the community and is growing by the week with nearly 70 members. Children start off by listening to a short talk based around God’s word before choosing from a range of activities: football, table tennis, board games or crafts. Throughout the year, the Church also holds a number of ‘family night’ events which again provide the opportunity for to share God’s word, not only with the children, but with their parents too.

A round up of activities from across our churches for Easter 2025.

‘A Reimagined Worship’ is an intergenerational, community collaboration, where faith and theatre have been combined to create an innovative Sunday worship. Designed and led by Marrissa Thorpe, ten weekly workshops saw volunteer participants from St Columba URC engaged in collective service planning to assess the capacity for experimental worship within the United Reformed Church.

Seacombe URC has always been there for its community and is now rebuilding and redeveloping to continue meeting the needs of its neighbours. The old church building is being repurposed into a multi-functional building suitable for use as a community resource as well as a worshipping church. It is hoped to be completed in 2026 and has been assisted with funding from Mersey Synod Large Project Scheme. But why and how did the church come to develop this project? What does it mean for the community in Seacombe – spiritually and socially?

A wonderful service took place recently (14-16th March 2025) to celebrate 200 years of worship at St Andrew's URC Douglas. The Mersey Synod Moderator, Revd Geoff Felton, and Revd Catherine McFie visited the Isle of Man to join with St. Andrews Church in Douglas to celebrate their 200th Anniversary. The congregation was also joined by Victoria James, Chief Operating Officer of the URC, and Revd Dawn Mather, the most recent minister of the church. The service was led by Theunis Bassage and Richard Karran.

Sometimes it is the simple changes that can make a difference to mission. This is proven through Serpentine Road Family Church’s use of a Synod Mission Fund Grant to purchase new tables and chairs. This assisted the Church in providing a comfortable and presentable offering for the many groups that use their facilities.

Revd Keith Hulse was first inducted as a URC Minister 28 years ago and is now leading Blundellsands & Crosby URC in ministry, with one of his first events raising £1,000 for the Church’s Community Garden.

St Andrew's URC Meols has made use of the Synod Mission Fund to host successful events bringing more people into the church.

Christ Church Haydock URC stepped up to set up a donation point for those affected by flooding in the area this month. Neil Fairhurst, secretary at Christ Church Haydock URC, told the St Helen’s Star, “We got the call from St Helens Council on New Year's Day to see if we could open the church as a hub and of course we said yes. The Christian faith is about being there for our community and we are happy to be doing just that…“It’s awful that people are going through this but the kindness from others offering help has been good to see.”

St John's URC Warrington’s Causeway Community Garden has gained another Level 5 Outstanding Award Certificate from the RHS. Part of the Northwest in Bloom It’s Your Neighbourhood scheme, the awards are for bringing members local communities together to make a positive change. This year, the Garden also received two grant payments from the Co-op Local Community Fund through the customers’ loyalty cards scheme.

A number of environmental initiatives have led to an Eco Church Bronze Award for St Andrew’s Meols URC. The Award recognised the Church’s efforts to care for God’s earth in Worship and Teaching, Management of Buildings and Land Community and Global Engagement Lifestyle. Initiatives included a monthly community recycling project, regular eco communications, use of the community garden, the wide-spread use of LED lights, extensive double glazing and new heating in the main church.

Volunteers from the St Helens URC network of churches came together on Tuesday 29th October to run a half term fun day for primary age children. Based at Ormskirk Street URC and led by Steven Mitchell, Synod Children and Youth Development Officer (CYDO), children and adults had a fun packed day.

Ladies Day at St. David’s URC Eastham brought in women at all stages of Christian faith to a day of creative worship where they could relax, enjoy and participate in each other’s company. They left with a renewed sense of love, hope and mission as they shared the Good News with others, responding to human need by loving service.  A day of creative worship and praise.

Parkgate and Neston URC’s whole sanctuary within the church is made special by the Wall Panels beneath a rose window on the front wall. The five decorative panels were designed for the wall by Kay Andrews, an artist who has exhibited at the Royal Academy and is a member of the congregation. The idea was to provide a ‘thin place’. These are places where you feel closer to God – usually places where the wonder of creation, its awesomeness, grips you and you realise that there isn’t much distance between you and your Creator.

Chester Road URC has created a church community garden, with missional opportunities including connecting people to the church and providing outreach to the wider community in Whitby, Ellesmere Port. The Church used a Synod Mission Grant to purchase materials and tools and to cover some ongoing costs once the garden is established. 

‘Snapshots’ Holiday Club, which took place at Allerton URC this summer using a Synod Mission Grant, proved to be a successful demonstration of church love at its best, with so many people giving their time freely to make it happen and doing so with such goodwill. Fifty children took part across the week.